USA Triathlon Names Roster for Pan American Games Lima 2019

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced the six up-and-coming triathlon stars who will make up the U.S. Pan American Triathlon Team for the Pan American Games Lima 2019, set for this July in Peru.

The triathlon events in Lima include an individual Olympic-distance race and — for the first time — a mixed relay competition. The men’s and women’s individual races are set for Saturday, July 27, and the relay takes place on Monday, July 29.

Headlining the women’s roster is Avery Evenson (Brighton, Mich.), who earned a silver medal last September at the FISU World University Triathlon Championships in Kalmar, Sweden. Evenson was the fifth-place finisher at the 2014 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Junior World Championships and the fourth-place finisher at the 2015 ITU Under-23 World Championships. She then took a three-year hiatus from the sport to run NCAA Division I cross country and track for the University of Michigan, where she was a two-time cross country All-American.

Evenson returned to triathlon in 2018, and earlier this season, she earned her first international win at the Clermont CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup.

Sophie Chase (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Mary Alex England (Carlsbad, Calif.) were both NCAA Division I track and cross country standouts, Chase at Stanford University and England at the University of Mississippi. Both were both recruited to triathlon through the USA Triathlon Collegiate Recruitment Program (CRP). The CRP identifies top single-sport NCAA runners and swimmers who have the potential to be elite triathletes.

Chase is now in her third season as an elite triathlete. She is a three-time CAMTRI American Cup medalist and five-time ITU Triathlon World Cup top-15 finisher. Her resume also includes victories in non-drafting competitions, at the 2017 Nautica Malibu Triathlon and the 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon.

England began competing on the elite ITU circuit just last year, and she has already earned two CAMTRI bronze medals and an ITU World Cup top-25 finish. In addition, she was the runner-up to Chase at the 2017 Nautica Malibu Triathlon.

The men’s roster is highlighted by Jason West (Boulder, Colo.), the 2018 USA Triathlon Elite National Championships runner-up and a five-time CAMTRI champion. West is a decorated triathlete in professional non-drafting events, having earned victories at the 2017 Philadelphia Escape and Nation’s Escape Triathlons and the 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon.

Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.) is the 2016 ITU Junior World Champion, and also represented the U.S. at the 2015 and 2017 ITU Junior World Championships. He earned his first elite CAMTRI podium last year with a bronze in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. Hindman ran NCAA Division I cross country and track for one season at the University of Missouri before joining USA Triathlon's Project Podium, a men’s elite development squad based at Arizona State University.

William Huffman (Colleyville, Texas) is one of the most experienced athletes on the squad, having made his debut on the elite ITU circuit in 2011. Huffman is a two-time USA Triathlon Elite National Championships bronze medalist (2014, 2018), an eight-time CAMTRI medalist and a five-time ITU World Cup top-10 finisher.

All Pan American Games roster nominations are pending approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The U.S. has captured 11 all-time Pan American Games medals, including five golds, since triathlon made its Pan American Games debut in 1995. Most recently, at the 2015 Games in Toronto, Kevin McDowell (Phoenix, Ariz.) captured silver in the men’s event.

Held every four years in the year before the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games are the third largest international multi-sport Games after the Olympic Games and the Asian Games. The history of the Pan American Games dates back to 1951, when the Games were first hosted by Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2019 Pan American Games mark the 18th celebration of the Pan American Sports Organization event. The U.S. has hosted the event twice, in Indianapolis in 1987 and Chicago in 1959.

Visit lima2019.pe/en for more information about the Pan American Games Lima 2019.

Men
Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.)
William Huffman (Colleyville, Texas)
Jason West (Boulder, Colo.)
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).